Infographics remain one of the best forms of visual content in the digital world today. They catch the eye and they can publicize a great deal of information in a short space of time.

But not all infographics are born equal. You can’t use a free tool and generate a five-star infographic every time. It takes a great deal of care and thought to create an infographic that people are going to respond to. Here are a few tips that will help you to design stunning infographics:

1. Make the purpose clear

Infographics can allow you to give your readers a lot of information fast. But you don’t want to overload them with information. An infographic should be as specific as possible. Even if the various facts and figures can apply to multiple subjects, they should be positioned and placed in a way that all joins on one point. A clear purpose will allow you to hit your target audience and will prevent confusion. It’ll also make it easier to make more infographics out of limited resources.

2. Make every part of it clear

You should never have to explain what a part of your infographic means. Infographics are designed to be consumed in a matter of minutes. Your point should become clear right from the headline and with every piece of information within the infographic. It should be immediately obvious why you’ve included a certain point. If you find yourself hesitating or questioning why something is there, that means it’s too complicated. Remove it or think about how you can position it in a way that will make it less complicated.

3. Make the colors fit in

Colors are an important part of catching someone’s eye. The colors you choose will determine the psychological response you receive. When choosing your colors, you should first limit your choices to two at the most, and one of them will nearly always be black or white. Any more colors than this can create confusion. You should consider how the colors of your infographic blend in with the background of your website. This is one part of designing an infographic that people frequently forget about.

4. Stop using typography as a crutch

Fancy typography has its place, but it’s often used incorrectly. Often, typography is used to highlight a big number, rather than any real visual design. There’s a big difference between using a picture and just using an enlarged font to make a point. Sadly, the latter is what commonly happens as designer fatigue sets in. As a result, make sure you’re always asking whether you’re using typography as a crutch.

5. Give it a storyline

Think of an infographic in the same way as a shor.t story. It should have an introduction, a middle part, and an end. The first part of your infographic should state what the issue or problem is. The middle part should detail the process by which that problem or issue is being addressed. And the end should show what can and should happen after that issue has been addressed. Here’s an example: study this one and see how its storyline quickly grabs the reader’s attention. You should consider adapting this style to suit the stated purpose of your infographic, but the same principle will apply practically every time.

6. Leverage the infographic for ROI

Once you’ve created your great infographic, you need to think about where you’re going to go next. Every infographic should lead into something else, whether that’s giving something away or asking people to subscribe to your email list. Too many companies craft a fantastic infographic only to have it go nowhere. You should always think about how your infographics fit into your overall marketing campaign and sales funnel. Once you do this you’ll soon see that your infographics become more valuable and they net you a bigger return on your investment.

Infographics are no silver bullet. They need to be well-placed and they have to blend into the rest of the content on your website. Always have the big picture in mind and you’ll be designing infographics that give you a huge return on your investment.

Dorothy Mitchell

Dorothy Mitchell is a freelance business writer and social media marketing consultant. She has worked as a writer, researcher, social media manager and business consultant with several companies, including Fortune 500 companies like LinkedI...